Online Worship Connection 10:30 every Sunday - office@faithpresbyterianusa.org
56 Mountain Street, Blue Ridge, Georgia 30513, United States
FAITH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH PC (USA) BLUE RIDGE GA
From the session - LETTER OF JUNE 18, 2020
INTRODUCING OUR PHASED APPROACH PROCESS
June 18, 2020
From the Session of Faith Presbyterian Church:
Dear Faith members and friends,
Since the middle of March our focus as a Session has been upon nurturing, caring and encouraging all in their Christian faith and life, sustaining and developing the ongoing life of our congregation, and seeking to protect the health, safety and well-being of everyone who shares in the life of our congregation. These tasks and goals have asked a lot of us as the Session, and we have valued, and continue to need your prayers and encouragement.
Over time, as an aid to our reflection and discernment, the Session has accessed and engaged with a number of helpful and important documents from across the church and community, from Presbyterian and other traditions, as well as government and scientific documents from sources including the CDC (Center for Disease Control). Each Session member has sought to be as informed as possible as an aid to making decisions. Several of these documents have been shared on the church website on the “bearing witness covid19” page.
The past three weeks the Session has focused its conversations on developing a
document that describes processes by which and through which the Faith Session will be able to identify if, when, and how, different styles and sizes of in-person gatherings might be possible. (The initial framework we followed was based upon one of the many helpful documents developed in other contexts. In our case we adapted a document from the Decatur Presbyterian Church in Decatur, GA.) Attached to this email communication is the document, “Faith Presbyterian Church Phased Approach June 17 2020” adopted by the Session at its meeting yesterday, June 17, 2020.
We provide this “living document” to our members and friends as a framework for the future. We call it a “living document” because of the demographics of our particular church community, and the complexity of what a faithful and caring response to the ongoing impact of covid19 asks of us all. There are obvious factors that would influence future decisions (e.g. a widespread outbreak of cases of covid19 in our immediate area; the development and deployment of an effective vaccine; participants within our church being diagnosed or testing positive for covid19 etc.). Since this is a novel (new) coronavirus, that our society and world is only beginning to understand, we acknowledge that there are will surely be several or many unknown factors, that could complicate what is safe and sensible.
As of June 17, 2020, the Session identify that we are in PHASE A as described in the document. Beginning yesterday, June 17, the Session will monitor the incidence of cases in the incoming fourteen-day period before determining if we continue in PHASE A or move to PHASE B. (As of now the Session plan to meet on June 24 and July 1, and no doubt, regularly going forward.)
In addition to monitoring the incidence of cases and the other criteria identified, the Session has asked that a detailed policy concerning increased hygiene and risk reduction in all areas of the church be completed, approved and circulated for everyone’s use.
The church calendar, which is regularly updated and circulated via the church website, has been updated to note that the weekly Service of Worship will continue to be shared online via zoom and other platforms, at least through the month of July. People performing essential tasks or services in the life of the church in the remainder of June and July, including supervising the new building work and the move from Mountain Street, will be done while people observe social distance and wear face masks. The July calendar also notes that we will be either in PHASE A or B or C, depending on the assessment of the Session, and all activities will proceed according to the descriptions applicable for each phase.
The Session commend this document and the processes it describes to everyone and affirms the intention of the Session to learn as we go, to revise and amend when needed, having care for everyone’s health and safety.
The latest news on the completion of the construction on our new building on Bluebird Road is that the Contractor believes they will be finished late June or early July. We hope that we will then quickly receive our Certificate of Occupancy, which, when granted, will allow us to move the contents of 56 Mountain Street to the new building, and conclude our lease agreement for the Mountain Street property.
Faith Presbyterian Church has worshiped God at, and served out of, Mountain Street since fall 2011. Almost nine years of our sixteen years as a chartered congregation have been spent in this location and we have much to recall, remember and celebrate of our worship, work and witness. Since it will not be possible for us to gather again, as an entire community, at 56 Mountain Street prior to our move to Bluebird Road we plan to celebrate and give thanks to God for all that these past years have meant during our Worship Connection on Sunday, June 28, 2020. Members and friends are invited to gather items or photographs that reflect the life and witness of Faith Presbyterian Church at and out Mountain Street, and have them in your video screens that day, and for “show and tell”, and also to scan and send or share photographs of meaningful moments for inclusion in a display being created for this special occasion.
One of our favorite hymns, a verse of which we are currently using as our Introit on a Sunday, speaks to us of the love and care and practicalities required of us all in this time of hope and challenge, change and renewal. May these words express our attitudes and actions and be expressive of our commitment to God and one another today and in the coming days:
Let us build a house where love can dwell and all can safely live,
a place where saints and children tell how hearts learn to forgive.
Built of hopes and dreams and visions, rock of faith and vault of grace;
here the love of Christ shall end divisions:
All are welcome; all are welcome; all are welcome in this place.
Your Session,
Rick Borden, Bruce Burn, Candy Frank, Janice Glascock, Randy Griggs, Lynn Hayes, Chris Martinez, Carl Riggs, Jim Simpson and Frances Young.
To access the Phased Approach document on our church website click this image
Site Content
Here is how you can get connected on ZOOM to Worship Connection at Faith Presbyterian Church
Weekly Worship Connection Faith Presbyterian Church in Blue Ridge GA
Every Sunday, until further notice
The zoom Gathering will open at 10:00 AM (EDT) and the WORSHIP CONNECTION program will begin at 10:30 a.m.
To get started on your computer, tablet or smartphone….
Download and install Zoom on Windows
1. Go to https://zoom.us/download
2. Click Download below the headline “Zoom Client for Meetings”
3. Choose “Save file” to download the Zoom installation program to your computer.
4. Double click on the downloaded program (ZoomInstaller.exe) to start the installation.
The church will provide the Meeting ID in the days before the Worship Connection takes place.
You do NOT need to create an account and you do NOT need to subscribe for an account – no need to pay any money.
To request the zoom link for the Worship Connection please send us an email at: office@faithpresbyterianusa.org
Faith and Friends 2019
